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Ok, so we're considering a place in Rosedale, Queens. We are a mixed (white husband, haitian wife) couple with 4 kids, one in High School. Valley Stream was our first choice, but too expensive....you get WAY more for your money right next door in Rosedale.
However, I've heard the HS there (Springfield Gardens High) sucks! Is this true? If so, how can I get our HS aged child to a different school? Especially being that we're in Atlanta until this summer? Any help is greatly appreciated!!
The Dept of Education puts out a book listing all the High Schools including specialized high schools in NYC. If your High Schooler doesn't mind traveling, there are many good High Schools in NYC.
OP, this is a great handbook but keep in mind that not all schools accept all students. Some of these are based on performance and grades and can be very selective when they accept students.
Q: What can I do if I am new to New York City or new to public schools?
A: For more information about new student registration and the documents required for registration, please visit our new students web page: http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/NewStudents
The best bet for you now is to find your daughter/son a copy of a NYC Specialized High School Test book, which are for sale anywhere in the city and certainly online. Have the kid sudy it as if his life educational life depended on it, becuase it just might. After moving into the city he/she will be eligible to take the test in the summer for placement into one of the specialized schools, and if things go OK your problem will be solved. But be forewarned. It is a VERY tough test for most kids. The Queens High School for Sciences at York College is nearby, but kids will travel much further than that for a specialized HS and Queens kids will certainly attend Brooklyn Tech or Brooklyn Latin for instance. (Both also specialized high schools).
Barring that, when you come to the city and its enrollment office this summer, try to get into what is known as a "selective" high school in the city. These are the ones that consider a kid's grades and standardized test scores--the higher the better. They are generally sound academically and the kids in them are way more serious students overall than those in what are known as "unscreened" "limited unscreened" and "zoned" programs. Those programs essentially accept anybody and often have much lower graduation and college readiness rates than the specialized high schools or selective high schools. Some of the better ones in Queens are Frank Sinatra (a performing arts school), Queens Gateway to Health Sciences, Bard High School Early College II, Baccalaureate School For Global Education (the IB program), and the Academy of American Studies. Some of these however, are also a good schlep from where you are and the kid would have to learn to navigate the bus and subway system quick--though New York kids do this all the time.
Finally there are "selective" programs in many zoned high schools (I know this is confusing) in Queens, and many of those programs and a few of the schools themselves , are places where the kid can get a good to great eduation. Look at what's offered in Bayside HS, Forest Hills HS, Frances Lewis HS, and Cardozo HS, all of which have selective programs in different subjects.
As someone already mentioned, Springfield Gardens HS was a lousy school and was closed down. It was replaced by some new small high schools i the same building, but my gut feeling is that they still have the same crummy students in them and the new schools probably aren't very good. This happens a lot in NYC. (But maybe someone here knows those schools better than me and can chime in.)
For more detailed info on those schools check out the insideschools.org site and of course the high school directory on the NYC Dept. Of Education site. You may strike gold in your search for a good school for your daughter/son, and I hope you do. But this craziness is what drives many New Yorkers to the 'burbs.
Ok, so we're considering a place in Rosedale, Queens. We are a mixed (white husband, haitian wife) couple with 4 kids, one in High School. Valley Stream was our first choice, but too expensive....you get WAY more for your money right next door in Rosedale.
However, I've heard the HS there (Springfield Gardens High) sucks! Is this true? If so, how can I get our HS aged child to a different school? Especially being that we're in Atlanta until this summer? Any help is greatly appreciated!!
Not sure what you mean by you get way more for your money in Rosedale. You have to keep in mind that with LI, you pay taxes and generally the schools are better than in NYC (that includes all the boroughs). So, just because your rent may be cheaper in Rosedale, is it worth sacrificing the quality of education? Your other option may be to look into other areas rather than focusing on Rosedale unless your kids don't mind traveling to go to school. Have you actually been to Rosedale or Valley Stream at all?
The best bet for you now is to find your daughter/son a copy of a NYC Specialized High School Test book, which are for sale anywhere in the city and certainly online. Have the kid sudy it as if his life educational life depended on it, becuase it just might. After moving into the city he/she will be eligible to take the test in the summer for placement into one of the specialized schools, and if things go OK your problem will be solved. But be forewarned. It is a VERY tough test for most kids. The Queens High School for Sciences at York College is nearby, but kids will travel much further than that for a specialized HS and Queens kids will certainly attend Brooklyn Tech or Brooklyn Latin for instance. (Both also specialized high schools).
Barring that, when you come to the city and its enrollment office this summer, try to get into what is known as a "selective" high school in the city. These are the ones that consider a kid's grades and standardized test scores--the higher the better. They are generally sound academically and the kids in them are way more serious students overall than those in what are known as "unscreened" "limited unscreened" and "zoned" programs. Those programs essentially accept anybody and often have much lower graduation and college readiness rates than the specialized high schools or selective high schools. Some of the better ones in Queens are Frank Sinatra (a performing arts school), Queens Gateway to Health Sciences, Bard High School Early College II, Baccalaureate School For Global Education (the IB program), and the Academy of American Studies. Some of these however, are also a good schlep from where you are and the kid would have to learn to navigate the bus and subway system quick--though New York kids do this all the time.
Finally there are "selective" programs in many zoned high schools (I know this is confusing) in Queens, and many of those programs and a few of the schools themselves , are places where the kid can get a good to great eduation. Look at what's offered in Bayside HS, Forest Hills HS, Frances Lewis HS, and Cardozo HS, all of which have selective programs in different subjects.
As someone already mentioned, Springfield Gardens HS was a lousy school and was closed down. It was replaced by some new small high schools i the same building, but my gut feeling is that they still have the same crummy students in them and the new schools probably aren't very good. This happens a lot in NYC. (But maybe someone here knows those schools better than me and can chime in.)
For more detailed info on those schools check out the insideschools.org site and of course the high school directory on the NYC Dept. Of Education site. You may strike gold in your search for a good school for your daughter/son, and I hope you do. But this craziness is what drives many New Yorkers to the 'burbs.
Not sure what you mean by you get way more for your money in Rosedale. You have to keep in mind that with LI, you pay taxes and generally the schools are better than in NYC (that includes all the boroughs). So, just because your rent may be cheaper in Rosedale, is it worth sacrificing the quality of education? Your other option may be to look into other areas rather than focusing on Rosedale unless your kids don't mind traveling to go to school. Have you actually been to Rosedale or Valley Stream at all?
I think the OP means that because Rosedale is Queens and not LI, the property taxes are much lower. Nor would they have to pay the additional school taxes that homeowners on LI have to pay.
I also don't believe that LI schools are necessarily better. As has been pointed out already, there are numerous excellent High Schools in NYC. And being that they are part of the Public School system, are free of charge.
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